Some of Hollywood’s best films from days of yore are disappearing. Literally.

Despite being the highest grossing film of 1919, only three minutes of The Miracle Man starring Lon Chaney still exist. Potential masterpieces by the grandfather of special effects Georges Méliès were lost to decay, neglect and recycling.

“The largest part of the cultural heritage of 20th-century of America [is] deteriorating,” says Balazs Nyari, founder of film restoration company Cineric Inc. Groups like Nyari’s and the Martin Scorsese-lead Film Foundation, however, are actively working to save motion pictures and keep that cultural heritage alive in the 21st century.

For nearly a century, the World’s Fairs captured our imaginations, showing what mankind could achieve. In an age of marvels at your fingertips, however, the Fairs have gone from cultural touchstones to outdated afterthoughts.

At the bottom of a steamer trunk in the closet of the Office of Tibet forgotten for 50 years, Tenzin Phuntsog stumbled upon films shot in pre-occupation Tibet. Finding the artifacts, however, was just the beginning of his quest to save Tibetan film culture.